New York Is Pricy. Take These 10 Steps to Get Your Money Under Control

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So you live in New York — the Empire State — the best and most important state of all, right? You and 20 million other New Yorkers.

Not exactly the cheapest place to live, is it? New York always gets ranked as one of the most expensive states in the U.S.

“Even a basic lifestyle can cost a king’s ransom in the Empire State,” CNBC says.

You’re probably getting squeezed by high housing costs, so your finances could use some serious TLC.

But the problem seems overwhelming. Which goal to attack first? You need a budget, a savings plan, a debt-repayment strategy, a better credit score, a plan for retirement and… oh God, it’s too much.

To tackle big goals, you have to start small. Here are some simple steps you can take today to get your finances under control:

1. Pay Less for Homeowners or Renters Insurance

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Housing in New York state is so expensive! And if you have homeowners or renters insurance, you might be paying too much for it. Try shopping around.

If you’ve never looked into it, start by getting a free quote. Here are some places to start:

Lemonade: Renters insurance starts at $5 a month and homeowners insurance starts at $25 a month.

Beyond affordable rates, Lemonade adds a layer of transparency you don’t often see in the insurance world. Instead of profiting extra when it doesn’t have to pay out claims, the company keeps a set 20% of your premium for itself, and 80% goes into a pool for paying claims. Money left over after paying claims each year goes to a cause of your choice.

Young Alfred: Billed as “your new, hip family butler,” Young Alfred is actually an online insurance agency that does your comparison shopping for you.

Based on your profile, it suggests ways you should consider modifying your insurance coverage. Based on your needs, it recommends three insurance policies that’ll give you the most bang for your buck. It shows you a side-by-side comparison of the three policies’ prices and coverage in an easy-to-understand format.

2. Stop Paying Too Much for Car Insurance

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With all those trains, buses and subways, New York has way more mass transit than most states. But for most of us, there’s still no getting around the need for car insurance.

One way you could save money is by shopping around and comparing rates at least once a year. Less than 50% of us do that, according to this survey from The Zebra, though 81% of us report wanting lower rates.

So, just like you compare the prices of flights, shoes and laptops before purchasing, why not compare car insurance?

The Zebra, an online car insurance search engine that offers “insurance in black and white,” compares your options from 204 providers in less than 60 seconds.

Here’s how it works:

1. Head over to The Zebra’s search platform. Enter your car’s year, make and model, and your zip code. Continue on to answer questions about your driving habits, your car and your life.

On the right sidebar, you’ll watch rates increase or decrease based on your answers. For example, if you’ve gotten into an accident — that was your fault — in the past three years, your rates will kick up. It’s interesting to see what effect your answers might have.

2. After about two minutes of questions, it’s time to compare. The Zebra gives you an “Insurability Score,” which is similar to your credit score except it’s for car insurance, and it teaches you how to get better rates. The site also gives you different options for coverage.

When you’re ready to consider your options and select a quote, you can also receive a phone call from The Zebra for additional support.

A nice representative (a real, live human) on the line asks if you want to speak with a specialist. If you’re truly interested in car insurance and want to ask all the questions, this could be the perfect time.

Chime customers have access to thousands of fee-free MoneyPass ATMs around the country.

When you set your payroll up for direct deposit to your Chime spending account, your paycheck will post two days before payday, giving you more time to plan, save and pay the bills.

You can open an easy-to-access, connected savings account. It allows you to automate your savings with features like the round-up tool, which will round up your transactions to the nearest dollar and dump the change into savings.

A good credit score is crucial if you’re buying a pricey house or condo. You also have to authorize a credit check whenever you want to move into a new apartment, rent a car with your debit card or buy a new phone.

So pour yourself a glass of wine — or a Long Island Iced Tea — and check your credit score for no cost on a free site like Credit Sesame. This way you can find out if you have any negative marks on it before you’re trying to make a major life move.

5. Start Investing Without Thinking About It

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With the New York Stock Exchange based in your state, it only makes sense for you to invest.

If you want an absurdly simple way to save and invest your money, try Acorns. You’ll be amazed by how much money you can set aside without even thinking about it.

Acorns is a smartphone app that connects to your bank account, credit and debit cards to save your digital change. It automatically rounds up purchases with your connected accounts and invests the difference in your Acorns account.

This Penny Hoarder saved $116 — about $35 a month — by connecting one debit card to the app and forgetting about it.

At that rate, you’d put away $420 a year. And if you use your credit cards more frequently, your round-ups could amount to much more.

6. Start a Passive Income Stream

You can never have enough money. We’re at no loss for smart ways to earn extra money without doing extra work, but here are some you can actually start right now.

Sign up for the websites below on your smartphone, and start earning extra money every month!

MyPoints: This platform lets you earn gift cards for taking polls, answering surveys and other things you do online — a great way to cash in on long lines or an endless commute. You’ll earn a $5 bonus when you complete your first five surveys.

Paribusis a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email archives for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund anytime there’s a price drop.

Shopkick: This app pays you in “kicks” for walking into certain stores (including Walmart, Target, TJMaxx and more). You can redeem them for gift cards to a number of retailers, including Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Sephora and Best Buy. Earn even more “kicks” for photos of receipts that include qualifying items you purchased in-store with a connected credit or debit card. You can also earn kicks for online purchases. You don’t have to do anything; your linked cards will automatically apply your kicks.

Paribus compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.

7. Take Steps to Consolidate Your Debt

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A lot of us are being crushed by credit card interest rates north of 20%. If you’re in that boat, consolidation and refinancing might be worth a look.

It could substantially lower payments you’re already making on your debt and help you save more money each month.

A good resource is online lending platform Upstart, which can help you find a loan without relying on only your credit score.

Unlike traditional underwriting models that use only the common FICO scoring model, Upstart’s technology looks at factors like your education and employment history to determine your creditworthiness (though it does require a 620 credit score).

It can help you borrow up to $50,000, potentially with better terms (e.g. lower interest or lower monthly payments) than traditional lenders. If managing many different bills and credit lines is a hassle, you can also use an Upstart loan to streamline all of your loans into one.

8. Make Your 401(k) Blossom

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As a New Yorker, you’re definitely going to want to retire in Florida someday. (Maybe we’re biased…) Can you afford to?

You have a 401(k) — kudos for that, but is it doing what you need it to?

If you’re like most people, you have no idea whether your 401(k) is on pace for your retirement or just sputtering along.

Chances are, your 401(k) could be doing a lot better. Take control with help from Blooom, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm that can optimize and monitor your 401(k) for you and keep it speeding toward retirement.

It just takes a few minutes toget a free 401(k) analysis that will show you whether your investments are allocated properly and whether you’re losing money paying hidden investment fees. It’ll even tell you just how much more money your account could earn by the time you want to retire.

After that, if you sign up, it’s just $10 per month to have Blooom monitor and maximize your 401(k). Bonus: Penny Hoarders get the first month free with the code PNNYHRD!

Think of Blooom like a mechanic constantly fine-tuning your car’s engine so it gives you the best possible performance and gas mileage. Except it’s your 401(k) — and your future.

9. Take a Deep Look at What You’re Spending

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Every dollar counts. An integral part to managing your money is budgeting. Ew, gross. We know. But it’s important to take a good look at what you’re spending and understand where you can cut back.

An easy way to automate this process is to use Trim, a little bot that’ll keep track of all your transactions.

Connect your checking account, credit card and savings account for a big-picture look at your spending habits. Then, take a closer look by checking out each of your transactions. Now, set alerts to let you know when bills are due, when you’ve hit a spending cap or when you’ve (hopefully not) overdrafted.

Trim has a lot of other features, too, including a service that helps you negotiate your bills down. Best part? It’s free to sign up.

10. Get Paid When You Swipe Your Credit Card

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If you’re not using a rewards credit card for everyday purchases, you’re missing out on free money — especially when you’re swiping that plastic for every meal.

You just have to be sure you don’t get too carried away with those purchases — and that the card is paid off at the end of each billing period.

Here’s an option we like: It’s the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. Its claim to fame? You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. Plus, if you spend $500 in your first three months of opening the card (hi, groceries), you’ll pocket a $150 bonus.

*The information for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has been collected independently by The Penny Hoarder. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. The Penny Hoarder is a partner of Credible.

Don’t miss out on possibly hundreds of dollars a year in rewards.

Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He loves New York.